- A viral post claimed a jhalmuri vendor visited by Narendra Modi was an undercover SPG officer
- Officials denied the claim, calling it fake and confirming the vendor is a local resident.
- Mamata Banerjee questioned the incident, alleging it was
A social media post has gone viral claiming that a local vendor visited by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a West Bengal election rally was actually an undercover Special Protection Group (SPG) officer.
The post, which has been widely circulated across platforms, suggests the interaction was staged. However, officials and local sources have clarified that the theory that the shopkeeper was a security plant rather than a local resident was false.
The official statement reads, “A post being shared on social media claims that the local vendor whose shop Prime Minister @narendramodi visited in West Bengal is actually a security personnel.”
Further, it read, “❌ This claim is #fake.”
Vikram Kumar, a vendor originally from Gaya in Bihar, has suddenly found himself in the spotlight after an unusual moment of attention. On Sunday, the prime minister briefly stopped his convoy, stepped out, and purchased jhalmuri, a popular Bengali street snack made of puffed rice, spices, and green chillies, even tasting it on the spot.
Modi's video crossed more than 100 million views on social media within 24 hours of the visit, as per The Indian Express.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has raised questions over the presence of a camera inside a shop that Modi visited during an unscheduled stop while on campaign, asking how the surveillance device came to be installed there.
"It's all drama. How come a camera was fitted inside the shop when the Prime Minister suddenly made an unscheduled stop during the campaign? The entire episode was scripted. The SPG prepared the jhalmuri for him… He (Modi) was seen carrying a Rs10 note in his pocket. Is it believable?" Banerjee said, as she addressed a TMC election rally in Murarai Assembly constituency in Birbhum district, reported The Indian Express.
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